FA announce significant change to yellow cards for 2018/19 season

The FA have revealed a significant change to the way yellow cards issued in competitions will affect player suspensions for the 2018/19 season.

The big change is that sanctions following the brandishing of a yellow card by a match day referee are now competition specific.

Football’s governing body revealed in a memo to clubs at step 5 and below of the English football pyramid that cautions in, for example the FA Cup, would count only in that competition.

Point 4 in the memo headed ‘Competition Specific Sanctions for Cautions’ states: “For the FA Cup, FA Trophy and FA Vase, the accumulation of yellow cards will be Competition specific. This will operate similar to the Champions League and Europa League, where a player accumulates 2 yellow cards in the competition will miss the next game in that competition.

“The caution count will only apply up to and including the Quarter Finals for each competition.

“Cautions received in these competitions will therefore not count in the caution tally for the 5/10/15
sanction process.

“It should be noted this regulation is for cautions only and dismissals remain unaffected.”